Good-life Daily Devotional

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  Luke 3:6 “And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.'" The word ‘Salvation’ used in this scripture is the Greek   word   ‘soterion’   and it means defender or defense. It is likened to a legal counsel sent to defend on in a case against a person in a court of law.       Sin is the contravention of God’s holy laws   and all it takes to be a sinner is to break one law . James 2:10-11 “For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws.   For the same God who said, "You must not commit adultery," also said, "You must not murder." So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law”   therefore going by this principle nobody can have access to heaven through any of the world’s religions including religious Christianity which requires obeying laws instituted by founders and church elders .        The only cure to t

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi 2 Corinthians 3:6 AMP "[It is He] Who has qualified us [making us to be fit and worthy and sufficient] as ministers and dispensers of a new covenant [of salvation through Christ], not [ministers] of the letter (of legally written code) but of the Spirit; for the code [of the Law] kills, but the [Holy] Spirit makes alive".           Under the new testament , every member of the body of Christ is a priest.We have direct access to the Heavenly Father.  In the old testament , it was the exclusive duty of the levites. They served as mediators between the congregation and God and were presided over by a great high priest.         The old testament prophet Jeremiah  spoke of an era when everyone would be opportuned to know God's will. Jeremiah 31:31-33 AMP says "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant ...Not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers ..... But this is the covenant which I w

   Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Isaiah 40: 29 "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."           Life is a battle for survival  requiring enormous strength to pull through.The scriptures refers to it as wrestling. This is more so, because the life of the Christian runs contrary to what obtains in the world. It's like running against runners in a marathon race.            The perspective on life of the born again believer is mutually exclusive and diametrically opposed to the world's.  The world's system thrives on pride and deceit,  Romans 3:4 says every man is a liar.The world's culture is characterized by rebellion and it is powered by Satan: the prince of the power of the air.  The scriptures says in Ephesians 2:2 "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this  world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that  now worketh in the children of disobedience:" The

 By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi       Genesis 34:1-2 NLT "One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her."           The word "Dinah " is a Hebrew word which means judgment, plea,strife .Dinah was Jacob's daughter : a product of the rivalry between two sisters in a polygamous relationship. Polygamy is premised on gender inequality and could lead to bitterness ,low-self esteem and bitter rivalry.It is impossible to love two wives equally.          Whenever a system considers one section of society inferior ,it is bound to lead to unpleasant agitations, for example those making a case for polygamy while claiming to be promoters of the ideals of gender equality are faced with two fundamental questions, firstly, why didn’t God give Adam more than one wife? And why doesn't polygamy permit a woman to

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi   Ps 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” KJV This is a verse from what is often referred to as the shepherd’s psalm. It chronicles the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church. The word  ‘mercy’ as used in this text is the Hebrew word  ‘checed’  and it means ; kindness;  piety: reproof, or beauty:  favour, good deed,  pity.           The relationship between the lord and His church is likened to that between a good shepherd and his sheep. The sheep plays no role in its daily provisions: all it does is follow the shepherd.            The shepherd’s love for the sheep is unconditional even when they go astray , he never stops showing care for them . Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the shepherd who left his ninety -nine sheep to save one that went astray (Luke 15:4). God’s love for us is not subject to seasons and circumstances: it is constant

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi Proverbs 24:16 "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief."         One of the realities of the Christian life is that righteous  men do fall short too. The scriptures says in Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  " One can never  be too careful enough . The best plan for success is prone to failure that is why the cooperate world has force majeur  (the act of God) as an element to be considered in contractual agreements. It is because of the possibilities of failures that insurance companies exist.            Disappointments are part of life and should not be always considered as a  curse, especially when you are  convinced that you've put in your best into a project, be it a marriage, relationships ,ministry or business, because some disappointments are as a result of some other person's bad decisions and not ours.              For ex

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi         Man is social in nature and loves to move in groups,  this gives a sense of self-worth, love  and security. It is for these reasons that friendship is a necessary part of our human development,  and if well harnessed, it could lead to the furtherance of the building of human capacity.              Friends play a great role in our spiritual development and can be a ready source of inspiration .A person's spiritual state can easily be measured through the spiritual temperature of one's closest friends, for example, persons who find it hard to forgive and are afraid of giving offerings and ceremonial tithes are most likely to have close friends who do likewise .         The impact  of friends on one's life  is the same as that of the chain-links of a bicycle chain, therefore, a person could be said to be as strong as the weakest member  of one's cycle of close friends . Through friends we receive wisdom and strength. The scriptur

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Matt 24:24    “for there shall arise false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”.           This prophesy by Jesus Christ about the events that shall take place prior to His second coming is being fulfilled as evident in the proliferation of miracle workers the world over .They claim to have solutions to all of life's problems .This is popular in underdeveloped nations were basic social amenities are lacking due to bad governance thus making citizens vulnerable to divination.         Divination is the art of foretelling the future through supernatural means ,diviners are also able to tell the past. This is made possible through demonic entities that have been in operation for thousands of years and have records of past events about  families, communities and are able to predict the future . Demons are intelligent and influence people's actions, circumstances and

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi 2Cor.3:18 But we all,  with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are  changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the  Spirit of the Lord.       The word 'glory' is the Greek word 'doxa' which means honour, good, to be of reputation, dignity.  There is an apparent transformation taking place in the life of the born again christian , it is first of all internal by the Holy Spirit leading to a change of perspectives.  This transformation results in a life of goodness, honour,  dignity: it is a  manifestation of the tangible goodness of the lord.It makes you appear as being rich and wealthy even when you have little resources.           This transformation is expedited by our conscious constant exposure to God's word. The scriptures says in 2Cor. 3:15 -16 "But even unto this day, when Moses is  read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to  the Lord, the vail shall

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi. Gen.4: 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.       The process of the redemption of the human race began from the garden of Eden . By virtue of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the devil is well aware of his impending doom and seeks to carry as many persons as possible along with him . As a strategy, he seeks to dilute and pollute the message of the gospel and kill as many unsaved persons as possible .       God always makes sure that there's a remnant who will continue with the process of the propagation of the gospel in fulfillment of prophesies. The enemy is opposed to this and seeks to destroy the carriers of the genuine message of the kingdom. When Moses was born, an  order was given for  every male child to be killed but God spared Moses as the remnant  of an entire generation, likewise when Jesus was born the enemy ordered fo

Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Rev 2:14-16 kjv” But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”            The Nicolaitanes were followers of a deviant form of Christianity in Asia Minor, who were sharply condemned by the apostle John in his letters to the church at Ephesus (Rev 2:6) and Pergamos (Rev.2:15). They were commended for rejecting the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, who were also classified as ‘false apostles ‘ . The group had gained a foothold, however, in Pergamos where, like Balaam of old, it encouraged followers to practice idolatry and sexual immorality (Num 25:1-3; 31:16) contrary to God’s word (

Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi James2:15" If a brother or sister be naked, and  destitute of daily food,  And one of you say unto them, Depart in  peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not  those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."        The church of Christ is an extension of God's loving  hands towards humanity.  The scriptures describes the church as the body of Christ. We make God visible to humanity and are instrumental to the answers to the prayers of many.          We are blessed to be a blessing to others, that is what it means to be the salt of the earth. In Isaiah 61:3 we are called trees of righteousness. A tree serves as shade and a source of food .It's branches produce fire needed to keep warm. A tree lives for others.   This is a true picture of what the church is, therefore, it should not be a strange thing to have so many persons seeking for

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi James 2:19 – "thou believest that there is one God, thou doesth well; the devil also believe, and tremble".       Much of what the world believes about demons is not from the bible. 1 John 4:1 tells us that there are many errors taught by false prophets and the spirit of the Anti Christ. What are Demons?  They are called “Foul (Greek 'akathartos' meaning unclean) Spirits” and “Devils” (Matt 4:24, Mk 9:2 ) They are not the spirit of dead persons :the dead are either in hell or heaven :Ecc9:5, Lk1 6:27-31 Satan is the leader or prince of demons and is also called Beelzebub (Mk 3:22)        Demons believe there is a God and they are afraid of Jesus' judgment against them (James 2:19) They are able to do miracles in order to deceive (2Thes2:9 ) they are the ones behind the miracles in churches run by false prophets that's why we should not follow a person because of signs and wonders.  Most cultures recognize

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  1John 3:15 "Whosoever hateth  his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal  life abiding in him."     The English dictionary defines 'hatred' as extreme dislike. The gospel is centered on God's love for humanity despite man's disenchantment at His method of handling  affairs. The common thinking is that an all- powerful ,loving , benevolent  and all -knowing God should always come to our rescue whether we believe in Him or not.       If God were to prevent the consequences of every action from manifesting then He will be acting contrary to his office as a judge. Every misfortune on earth is as a result of humans rebelling against God’s will. Some of the consequences of our actions affects the innocent including unborn children. God has given us wisdom to know good and bad and yet many choose bad and expect a good result. Children suffer because of the wrong choices of their parents and vice versa. Desp